Get fit with workplace challenge

People trying to get fit again after Christmas have the chance to make their New Year resolutions come true by joining in a special challenge centred around their workplace.

Companies across Bucks and Milton Keynes can compete for free in the new ‘My Team 2015’ workplace physical activity campaign from the beginning of January.

‘My Team 2015’ will run throughout the year but will start with an eight-week long challenge running between January 5 and March 1 2015.

And the firm with the most points on March 1 will win the title of most active workplace in the county.

The initiative is masterminded across the UK by Workplace Challenge, a national campaign funded by Sport England.

Leap, the county Sport and Activity Partnership, is delivering the campaign locally by encouraging employees to get together with colleagues to pool their efforts and win points for their firm.

Staff can do this by taking part in sports and other physical pursuits and collecting points on the Workplace Challenge’s online activity tracker tool.

Mark Ormerod, director of Leap, said: “We would love to see the community in our area embracing the new campaign. The aim is to encourage workers to build their own support network by initiating a team approach to exercise at work.

“This is ideal after Christmas and New Year because typically people don’t do a lot of exercise in that period, and need encouragement to get started. For the companies involved, the advantages are also significant because they will enjoy the productivity and cost-saving benefits a more physically-active workforce has been proven to generate.”

To add some friendly rivalry to the competition, Leap is encouraging participants to share goals and successes via social media. They can challenge other businesses to compete using #MyTeam2015 or a new ‘refer a friend or colleague’ functionality.

For more information and to register your workplace to take part in ‘My Team 2015’ for free, visit www.leapwithus.org.uk